The present invention generally relates to sign assemblies with flexible fascia members, and, more particularly, to improved tensioning apparatus for applying tension to flexible fascia members.
In general, back-lit fascia signage is typically placed around the top of a building, canopy, or other structure to identify the name and product of a particular business. Businesses using such back-lit fascia signage include fast food chains, service stations, banks, grocery stores, and the like. The fascia cabinets are internally illuminated to back-light the graphics printed on the fascia.
The installation of the fascia cabinets begins by mounting a rectangular cabinet across one or more sides of the building. The cabinet framework is usually fabricated from aluminum and aluminum extrusions and is shipped in unitized sections ranging from four to twelve feet long. These cabinets are mounted side-by-side to the building fascia, abutting each other to collectively form a continuous open-faced cabinet prior to addition of the fascia. Depending on the cabinet height, one, two, or three horizontal rows of fluorescent lights are contained in the cabinets to uniformly back-light the fascia. For most applications, the cabinets are about one foot deep and one to five feet high. After the cabinet framework is installed, a continuous plastic fascia is attached to the front of the assembly of cabinets. The plastic fascia is made of a relatively soft, flexible, translucent vinyl and may be decorated with various graphics, colors, stripes, patterns, logos, printed words, and the like. Additionally, a transparent cover may be attached to the bottom of the cabinet to allow for down-lighting of the building facade.
During the initial installation, the plastic fascia is stretched over the cabinet framework, providing an aesthetically pleasing and tailored look to the fascia system. Over time, however, exposure to weather and sunlight and temperature fluctuations may cause the fascia to wrinkle or sag, rendering the fascia less aesthetically pleasing. Prior signage assemblies have used a variety of tensioning schemes to stretch the flexible fascia over the cabinet framework. However, these prior tensioning schemes were directed at stretching the flexible fascia only during the initial installation with a predetermined tensioning force. That is, if the flexible fascia sagged over time because of exposure to weather and sunlight, these prior tensioning schemes could not automatically compensate for the sagging by applying additional tension to the flexible fascia.
What is needed, therefore, is a means for providing active tension to the flexible fascia to compensate for sagging or wrinkles that may occur in the flexible fascia over time. That is, as the flexible fascia is exposed to weather and sunlight and temperature fluctuations, the tendency to sag or wrinkle will be eliminated or minimized by a system providing active tension to the flexible fascia.
The present invention is directed to a sign frame assembly adapted to support a flexible fascia having oppositely disposed edges. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a frame member extends in a first direction and has first and second bracket-mounting sections spaced apart from each other in the first direction. First and second brackets have inner and outer opposite ends. The inner end of the first bracket is attached to the first bracket-mounting section of the first frame member. The inner end of the second bracket are pivotally mounted to the second bracket-mounting section of the frame member. First and second fascia attachment members are connected respectively to the outer ends of the first and second brackets. Each fascia attachment member is adapted to connect to the different oppositely disposed edges of the flexible fascia. A bias member is operatively disposed between the frame member and the second bracket such that the bias member exerts a rotational force on the second bracket in a direction tending to spread apart the first and second fascia attachment members. In one aspect of the invention a flexible fascia is connected to and spans between the first and second elongated members. Consequently, the rotational force applied by the bias member tensions the flexible fascia.
In one embodiment, the first and second fascia attachment members are elongated and have first and second fascia-clamping members with confronting surfaces between which the opposite edges of the flexible fascia are insertable for engagement by the confronting surfaces and positively held therebetween. In another embodiment, the first and second fascia attachment members are elongated and have an elongated recess with an opening along the length of the recess. A rod is inserted into the recess and one of the edges of the flexible fascia is wrapped around the rod. As such, the rod pinches the edge of the flexible fascia against a wall of the recess to hold the flexible fascia in place without the need for stitching or other forms of fastening.
In another aspect of the invention, a protective cover is placed over the sign frame assembly to protect the sign frame assembly form liquid ingress. The protective cover includes an outer lip extending outwardly beyond the exterior of the flexible sheet to cause liquid incident to the exterior of the protective cover to drip from the outer lip at a point spaced outwardly from the exterior of the flexible fascia. The sign frame assembly may also include a bottom cover attached to the underside of the sign frame assembly. This bottom cover may come in different varieties depending on the desired lighting effect. For instance, the bottom cover could be opaque to eliminate illumination of the space below the sign frame assembly. Alternatively, the bottom cover may be translucent and may contain a series of apertures to permit illumination of the space below the sign frame assembly. To that end, at least one illumination source may be affixed to the interior of the sign frame assembly to illuminate the flexible fascia from the interior side. Additional illumination sources may be included in the sign frame assembly to accommodate signs of greater size. Suitable illumination sources included flourescent tubes, high intensity discharge lamps, and the like. Nevertheless, the sign frame assembly can be installed without employing any illumination sources to back-light the flexible fascia.
In one preferred embodiment, the sign frame assembly includes a second frame member also extending in the first direction and spaced apart from the first frame member. Like the first frame member, the second frame member is operatively connected to the inner ends of the third and fourth brackets substantially like first and second brackets.